Black-business Count Sought

An economic development group is hoping that its search for Broward County`s top black businesses will provide a starting point for finding out how many black-owned firms there are in the area.

No Broward governmental agency or civic group uses race to keep track of how many or what type of businesses there are.

The Council for Black Economic Development, a non-profit group that was formed in February, is hoping to change that. The group has begun laying groundwork for identifying Broward`s black businesses by seeking nominations for the top 50 black-owned businesses in Broward, according to Norman Taylor, the council`s chairman.

Taylor said the council will distribute nomination forms at various community, civic and governmental offices such as the Urban League of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, the Fort Lauderdale NAACP office, the Liberia Economic Development and Social Services office in Hollywood, the Deerfield Beach Community Development Office and the Office of Contract Compliance in Fort Lauderdale. Any business that is at least 51 percent owned by blacks and has existed for at least three years is eligible, Taylor said. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 6.

The project, the council hopes, not only will help identify black businesses but also help determine what types of black businesses exist in Broward, Taylor said. The information is crucial, Taylor said, in helping the group to develop its black economic development master plan, which is to be completed by the end of September.

``Without a master plan, there will never be any direction in terms of building a solid economic base,`` Taylor said. ``To develop a master plan, we have to determine what black businesses are out there.``

Taylor said the idea is to have the black economic master plan folded into the county`s overall economic development strategy.

The council comprises 24 members who represent a cross-section of black civic and community development-minded organizations throughout Broward.

The top 50 firms will be selected based on their annual gross sales, numbers of years in business and by their involvement in professional organizations.

David Johnson III, chairman of the planning committee, said the group will recognize the businesses the first week in October, designated Minority Enterprise Development Week nationally.